Central Command
by Katsumi Amaya
Summary: "Double Dee thought back to the 16 years he had spent in his parent's house, and he couldn't remember a single moment in which he felt as safe and as loved as he did here, now, in Eddy's arms." Eddy/Double Dee


_A/N: Something totally different from my usual, but after re-watching Big Picture Show, I couldn't help but write this. I've already developed a taste for Eddy/ Double Dee, but this is my first time actually acting on it. I've had this idea in my head for quite a while, so, wish me luck! Here we go!_

Nicknamed Central Command when they were kids, the van quickly became a major part of their lives.

The day Eddy turned 16, he got himself a job at the same amusement part where his big brother worked. Double Dee could tell that Eddy hated that job and that place with a passion, and the only reason he didn't get fired was his big brother constantly bailing him out out trouble. He was always overcharging the kids, and yelling at the ones that were too loud.

Double Dee always had dinner hot when Eddy came home, something Eddy always showed his appreciation for by scarfing it down before he had even taken off his coat.

Every penny of Eddy's paycheck (that didn't go towards paying the rent of his and Double Dee's apartment) went towards restoring that van. New water bed, upholstery, shag carpet, paint job, engine, bumper, tail light, license plate, everything was made new. Until it was fully restored, Eddy had to take the bus to and from work, something he also hated with a passion. It took a year and a half, but between work and school, Eddy did it. He fully restored the van to even better than it's former glory.

One weekend, when he had the day off, he covered Double Dee's eyes and led him down to the parking lot, where he had driven Central Command from his dad's body shop. Double Dee couldn't help but giggle the whole way down.

"Eddy, just tell me! What's the surprise?" He laughed as he tripped and stumbled across the parking lot, unable to see. However, Eddy's hands covered his eyes until the last moment. "I can't tell you! You'll just have to see it!" Eddy grinned.

Finally, he announced the end of the road. "Okay, on three." Eddy said gleefully. "One... two... three!" and he took his hands away.

It took Double Dee's eyes a moment to adjust to the light, but they widened when they say the site before them. "Oh... my gosh! Eddy, it looks amazing!" Double Dee gushed, knowing that Eddy wanted his ego stroked. Besides the flattery, Central Command really did look amazing. Eddy had learned everything about car mechanics from his dad, and had really done a fantastic job on the van.

"Don't it?" Eddy grinned from ear to ear. "I did the whole thing by myself. I even assembled the engine!" Eddy ran around the the front of the van and popped the hood. He went off on a tangent about the bits and parts he had polished and put together. Double Dee smiled and nodded the whole time. Despite his knowledge in math and science, the only thing he knew about cars where where to put the gas in, and the pedals that made it stop and go.

Finally, Eddy finished and closed the hood. "So, how does a nice drive sound?" Eddy asked, a note of something in his voice. Eddy smiled and agreed. After packing lunch into the cooler, they set off back towards Peach Creek, their childhood home.

As they drove, Eddy and Double Dee reminisced on their past. At the age of 16, Eddy and Double had, well, run away, for lack of a better word. They still attended Peach Creek High, since their official addresses were still that of their parents', but they came home each night to their one bedroom apartment just a few miles away. Eddy was still in contact with his parents, while Double Dee was not. They weren't very happy with having a son that... well... didn't conform to their set standards.

Double Dee wiped a tear from his eye as Eddy recounted a particularly nasty adventure involving the Kanker Sisters. He remembered it well. "Oh, Eddy! These old recollections have me feeling quite nostalgic." He said happily.

Eddy's eyes widened. "Oh, uh, here." He took a hand off the steering wheel and reached into the glove box. He pulled out a brown paper bag, the likes of which he usually carried his lunch in. "You had better not puke all over the new carpet."

Double Dee started down at the paper bag in his hands for a moment, before he burst out laughing. "Eddy, I'm feeling nostalgic, not nauseous!" He chuckled.

Eddy rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Sock Head." He said fondly.

Double Dee smiled at the nickname. Eddy only called him that when he was in an exceptional mood. Only a few minutes later, they had reached the old lane, the small alleyway in between two lots. They were near the back, away from prying eyes and out of earshot. There, they climbed into the back and ate their lunch beside the water bed. They talked and they laughed like they hadn't in a long time.

When they had first run away from the cul-de-sac and Double Dee's parents, they had spent the first week wandering around the city, trying to find a place to stay. Because of their age, and a few other factors, they had been turned away repeatedly. Double Dee had even suggested that they just go home, something that Eddy had refused to do. That is, until they met their current landlord. She was a kind, sweet old lady. She took one look at them, and offered to give them a room at half the normal rent. Double Dee and literally thrown her arms around her, and Eddy had to drag him off. They had moved all of Eddy's stuff to the apartment, and had snuck in to Double Dee's place in the middle of the night to grab his personal belongings. Double Dee felt obligated to leave his parents a note. He had wanted to tell them where he was staying, but Eddy convinced him against it.

So, two years later, they were back for the first time.

Double Dee was feeling anxious, being back so close to his parents. "Eddy... do you think I should go talk to them? Tell them that I'm going okay?" He asked, clenching and unclenching his hands. Eddy smiled softly and put his hand on Double Dee's shoulder. "Sure. I know how much you care about them." His grin faltered. "But Double Dee... you know I care about you more, right?"

Double Dee smiled and looked at Eddy with gentle eyes. "My parents do love me Eddy. They just don't love..."

"Me?" Eddy raised an eyebrow. "Us?"

Double Dee nodded. "Us." He agreed.

Eddy moved closer. "I love us, though." He said gently. He held out his arms. Double Dee looked hesitant for a moment, before he accepted Eddy's hug.

"I know you do." Double Dee whispered. Eddy held him close. The sun began to fade lower and lower in the sky, and Double Dee pulled away. "They should be home by now." He said softly. Eddy didn't want to leave just yet, and Double Dee gave him the choice to stay. However, they both knew that Eddy would be there for Double Dee when this all went down.

The closer that they got to Double Dee's old house, the more shaky Double Dee became. By the time they reached the front door, Double Dee's whole body was shaking. "Double Dee, it'll be okay. They love you, don't they?" Eddy reassured him. He really wanted this to go smoothly. Say hi, tell them that their son was doing okay, hugs, bye-bye, the end.

Eddy didn't quite remember the first time that he and Double Dee had began feeling this way for each other. If he had to pick a specific date, he would pick the day that they had gone in search of his big brother, after that horrible scam-gone-wrong. Their night camping out in the middle of nowhere, Double Dee had labeled every rock and piece of dirt before he finally settled down. Eddy, atop that giant rock-face thing, eventually came down, grumbling about his back. He laid down beside Double Dee, half asleep, and was out like a light. When he awoke, he found himself with his arms wrapped around that dumb Sock Head. Double Dee was still fast asleep, something unusual for such a morning person. Eddy knew the previous day must have really worn him out.

Eddy's eyes widened when he saw that Double Dee was waking up. It was far too late to move away, and when Double Dee opened his eyes, he was face to face with Eddy. "Mmmmm." Double Dee groaned as he reached his arms up in a stretch that popped his back. "Good morning, Eddy." Double Dee murmured, still tired. "Is Ed still asleep?" Eddy couldn't say anything at this point, so he just nodded. "Okay." Double Dee yawned, and he snuggled back into Eddy's arms. Eddy just laid there and, unable to back to sleep because of the rising sun in his eyes, just watched Double Dee sleep in his arms.

Back to the present, Double Dee's mother was opening the door. She took one look at her son and threw her arms around him. "Oh, Eddward!" She cried out. "Lennard! Lennard, get over here!" Double Dee couldn't help smiling from ear to ear. When Lennard, Double Dee's father appeared, he got this warm smile on his face. "Eddward." He said softly. Once he was released from his mother's embrace, his father clapped him on the back. "How's our boy?"

During all this, Eddy managed to slip into the house. Just in time too, because Carla had shut the door without a second glance. "Oh, Eddward, we missed you so much." She said, tears in her eyes. "Have you been okay? Sleeping on your back, eating balanced meals, working hard?" She slipped his sock hat off and petted his hair lovingly. Double Dee, Eddward in this house, was smiling and assuring his parents that he was doing okay.

Finally, after at least 5 minutes, Eddy was noticed. "Oh... you brought him." Was all Lennard said. Carla fell silent as she turned to look at Eddy, standing meekly in the corner. He had never liked Double Dee's parents, mostly because of they way that they treated him.

"Oh, sweetie, you're not still with him, are you?" Carla worried, petting Double Dee's hair more anxiously. "You're here to stay, aren't you?"

Double Dee distangled himself from Carla's grip and went to stand beside Eddy. "No, mother." He said softly. With the greatest amount of courage, he reached out and took Eddy's hand. "Unless you've decided to accept this..." Double Dee swallowed. "...us... then I can't stay."

Carla let the tears in her eyes loose, and they slid down her cheeks faster and faster. "Oh, Eddward! Please come home, your father and I have missed you so much! You and I both know that this is just a phase, please don't think this is permanent!"

Eddy's heart swelled as Double Dee squeezed his hand tightly. "Mother, no phase lasts two years. I... I love this boy, and there's nothing you can do to change that." Carla turned away, and Lennard stepped forward.

"Now, Eddward, be reasonable." He lectured. "I think this had gone on long enough." He reached down to take Double Dee's shoulder, but Double Dee moved away. Lennard grimaced and turned his gaze towards Eddy. "Young man, you should be ashamed of yourself. Taking Eddward from his home, leading him astray with your lies..."

Eddy had stood in silence for long enough. He stepped forward, still hand-in-hand with Double Dee, and looked Lennard in the eye. There were nearly the same height. "Now, you look here, sir. I treat your son with more respect than you do. You and your wife both treat him like a trophy to show off to your friends at the country club, as if he lives to make good grades to make you both look good. When in reality, you two are hardly ever there for him. When you two were out at fancy dinners and bragging with every breath you could muster, Double Dee was with Ed and I, growing and becoming what he is today."

"Don't you dare criticize my wife and I! And his name is Eddward, not Double Dee!" Lennard was growing red in the face, his angry quickly becoming apparent. "We raised him the best way we knew how!"

Eddy shook his head. "It just wasn't good enough. You spent so much time treating him like an award that you forgot that he's a human being, with feelings and emotions." Eddy looked back at Double Dee, who was looking at Eddy with so much love in his eyes, Eddy want to stop and hug the life out of him. However, that could wait. He turned back to Double Dee's father and stood up as straight as he could. "I love Double Dee, and Double Dee loves me. It's been that way for years, and it's never going to change. If you can't accept that, then I won't allow you to be a part of of our lives. Goodbye."

With that, Eddy opened the front door and stepped out into the night with Double Dee by his side. He closed the door behind him, and they made their way back towards the lane. "Eddy..." Double Dee breathed. "That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen you do. You just said to them what I've wanted to say to them since I was ten years old." He released Eddy's hand to slide his sock hat back on, but Eddy stopped him.

"Hey..." He grabbed Double Dee's wrist. Double Dee looked at him with questioning eyes. With swift but shaky hands, Eddy reached back and undid the clip that kept Double Dee's hair in place. It feel down smoothly, and perfectly into place, down to the middle of his back. Eddy smiled, and leaned closer to Double Dee until their foreheads were touching. "You know I love you, right?"

Double Dee smiled softly. "I know Eddy. I love you too." He whispered. And with that, under the streetlight a few yards away from Double Dee's house, Eddy kissed Double Dee on the lips. The kiss was gentle and dry, but it conveyed all the right emotions.

The two returned to Central Command and spent the rest of the night on the water bed, curled up in each other's arms, whispering quietly in the darkness that enveloped them. Double Dee thought back to the 16 years he had spent in his parent's house, and he couldn't remember a single moment in which he felt as safe and as loved as he did here, now, in Eddy's arms. He gave a tremendous yawn, and looked up at Eddy with a smile. "We could stay for another day. You could see your parents, maybe let Ed know that we're here." Double Dee murmured.

Eddy shrugged. "Monda-a-Go-Go can survive without me for another day." He agreed. "Tomorrow's Sunday, ain't it?"

Double Dee nodded. "'Ain't' is not a word, Eddy." He reprimanded softly. However, at this point, he was already half asleep. Eddy smiled and chuckled softly.

"It's cute how you think I care." He whispered softly. He bent down to place a kiss to the top of Double Dee's head. Double Dee sighed happily, and the two laid there in peace.

Thus, another chapter in their lives closed, another ready to start come tomorrow morning. Eddy and Double Dee would get by, one way or another.


End file.
